Rock Band 4 will launch on PS4 and Xbox One later this year, developer Harmonix has announced in partnership with Mad Catz.
Returning after a five year wait and without publisher EA, Rock Band 4 promises to focus on the features and gameplay that fans loved while "expanding the franchise in innovative ways".
"With Rock Band 4, we're doubling down on the energy and excitement of playing music live with your friends," said Harmonix chief executive officer Steve Janiak. "Focusing on the core experience that our fans have told us they love allows us to evolve established gameplay in meaningful ways that we can't wait to share with everyone later this year."
Thanks to its partnership with Mad Catz, the peripherals company will develop and manufacture a new generation of wireless Rock Band 4 music controllers, including:
- Band-in-a-Box Bundle, which includes the Rock Band 4 game, a Wireless Fender™ Stratocaster™ Guitar Controller, a Wireless Drum Kit Controller and a Microphone.
- Guitar Bundle, which includes the Rock Band 4 game and a Wireless Fender Stratocaster Guitar Controller.
"We're already working closely with Mad Catz, Sony, and Microsoft on solutions for letting you use legacy hardware on new consoles. This is a challenge on both the software side and hardware side, but something we'd love to happen. We'll have more information on this in the coming months," explains the Q&A.
Harmonix is promising a "killer on-disc soundtrack", with the game also offering support for over 2000 tracks released since the 2007 launch of the original Rock Band.
"Since the beginning, we've called Rock Band a music platform. Players responded by downloading hundreds of their favorite tracks, and building a massive library of playable music," says Rock Band 4 product manager Daniel Sussman. "It's important for us to respect those purchases and enable our fans to bring that content over to the Rock Band platform on new generation consoles."
Tracks purchased or downloaded on last-gen systems can be carried across to Rock Band 4 at no additional cost. Hundreds will be available at launch, though Harmonix adds:
"The timing of release of legacy DLC on next-generation consoles is to be determined and may be subject to change. Legacy DLC will be downloadable and playable in Rock Band 4 only after the DLC is released on next-generation consoles."
New tracks and legacy tracks will be added "regularly" after launch.
In celebration of the announcement Rock Band 3 and Rock Band Blitz players can download "I Still Believe," recorded by UK-based songwriter Frank Turner, today, free of charge.
